††††††††††† In the nightís stillness,
far from the crowd and alone with the thoughts of his heart, a man prays
confessing the truth he knows within his soul:

††††††††††† "Oh
God, I acknowledge and confess before You, all my sins, please forgive them, as
no one can forgive sins except You.†
Forgive my mistakes, those done intentionally, or out of my ignorance,
with or without seriousness.† Oh God,
forgive my sins and my ignorance, forgive my sins of the past and of the
future, which I did openly or secretly. †Forgive the wrong I have done, jokingly or seriously. I seek Your
protection from all the evil I have done.†
Wash away my sins, and cleanse my heart, from all the sins as a white
garment is cleansed from the filth, and let there be long distance between me
and my sins, as You made the East and West far from each other."

††††††††††† That prayer expressed a
heart that understood the depth of sin in its soul. It acknowledges a nature
within that is bent towards sin. And it reflects the desire to cleanse that
depth of sin.† We hear in that prayer a
manís struggle with sin.† He asks
forgiveness for his past and future sins, because he knows that as a normal
man, he is going to sin.† It is
inevitable. He asks for forgiveness for things he has done intentionally, and
unintentionally.† He asks forgiveness
for mistakes and sins, those done intentionally or unintentionally.† He knows that the sins he committed are
"evil", and confesses that to God.†
He does not make light of his sins.†
The sins he committed are "filth" in Godís eyes.

Do you
think that this man was a sinner?

PART
1:†††† WAS MUHAMMAD A SINNER?

††††††††††† That prayer was prayed by
Muhammad. It is a synthesis of his personal prayers found in Sahih Bukhari
Volume 8: #s 335, 379, 407, and 408, [1]. Muhammad knew clearly he was a
sinner; thus he makes his confession public. Over and over again he stated he
was a sinner. The Quran he spoke identifies him as a sinner. Yet many Muslims
today say that Muhammad was not a sinner.

QUESTION:††††††† Muhammad said he was a sinner, why do
many Muslims contradict Muhammad and say he is not a sinner?

††††††††††† Before addressing that
question, let us examine the later Muslimís argument that he was not a sinner.
And, let us examine Quranic / Hadith evidence that Muhammad was a sinner.

A.THE ISLAMIC DOCTRINE OF "PROTECTION FROM SIN"

Many Muslims believe that Allah gives a special
protection to his prophets from being "sinners". In his book,
"Muhammad and the Religion of Islam", [2], John Gilchrist does an
excellent job in addressing and summarizing this invented Islamic doctrine. It
is sometimes called the "isma" doctrine. This book can be found on
the web at:

"Throughout the Muslim world today it is
generally believed that all of the prophets enjoyed an "isma", a
protection against sin, and that they were accordingly sinless. It is one of
the anomalies of Islam that this doctrine has been established and maintained
against the plain teaching of the Quran and Hadith to the contrary.

In the early centuries of Islam, however, a
doctrine founded on popular sentiment and theological presuppositions arose and
developed away from the teaching of the Quran and Hadith. It was first
formulated in the creed known as the Fiqh Akbar II and it is there stated:

††††††††††† "All
the Prophets are exempt from sins, both light and grave, from unbelief and
sordid deeds. Yet stumbling and mistakes may happen on their part. Wensinck,
"The Muslim Creed, p. 192."

It was not possible to defy the written sources of
Islam entirely, however, and so the records of the sins of the prophets in the
Quran and Hadith became watered down into "mistakes". Similar
euphemisms, such as "acts of forgetfulness", are constantly used by
Muslim writers today to account for these misdemeanors which the Scripture and
traditions of Islam record.

There are basically two reasons for the rise of
this doctrine in Islam. Firstly, the early Muslims soon discovered that the
Bible taught plainly that Jesus was the only sinless man that ever lived and,
confronted with this evidence, deemed it necessary to invent the fiction that
all the prophets  especially Muhammad  were sinless as well.
A superiority of Jesus over Muhammad could not be tolerated and, just as miracles
were attributed to the figurehead of Islam to give him a status at least equal
to that of Jesus, so he was also held to be sinless for the same purpose.
Secondly, the doctrine of revelation in Islam holds that the scriptures were
dictated directly to the prophets by the intermediary angel (Gabriel) and it
was therefore believed that the prophets must have possessed an impeccable
character for, if they could not keep themselves from error in their personal
lives, how could they be trusted to communicate Godís revelation without error?
This latter presupposition led perforce to the conclusion that the prophets
must have been sinless."

END OF GILCHRIST QUOTE

††††††††††† In sum, real Islamic
writings teach that Muhammad was a sinner.†
However, later Muslims, ashamed that Muhammad was inferior to Jesus in
this regard, made up a doctrine to place Muhammad on equal terms with Christ.† This doctrine contradicts what Muhammad
taught.† And, it should be added, that
Muslims believe that God has kept the Quran pure from human corruption through
all these centuries, while it was in the hands of sinful humans, then why could
he not trust the transmission through sinful human men as well?

B)
THE QURANIC EVIDENCE THAT MUHAMMAD WAS A SINNER

††††††††††† The Quran identifies
Muhammad as a sinner: 40:55, 48:2, and 47:19:

48:2†††† ... so
that God may forgive you your past and future sins, and perfect His goodness to
you; ...

Below is the Quran 47:19 in five English translations, (NOTE: Muhammad is
asking for forgiveness for both himself and his followers).

††††††††††† "Know
that there is no deity but God. Implore Him to forgive your sins and to forgive
the true believers, men and women. God knows your busy haunts and resting
places." Dawood [3]

††††††††††† "So
know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy
sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place
of turmoil and your place of rest." Pickthall [4]

††††††††††† "Know
thou therefore that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for thy sin,
and for the believers, men and women. God knows your going to and fro, and your
lodging." Arberry [5]

††††††††††† "Know,
then, that there is no god but God; and ask pardon for thy sin, and for
believers, both men and women. God knows your busy movements and your final
resting places." Rodwell [6]

††††††††††† "Know
therefore that there is no god but Allah and ask forgiveness for the fault and
for the men and women who believe: for Allah knows how ye move about and how ye
dwell in your homes." Ali [7]

END OF QURANIC QUOTES

††††††††††† The Quranic word used in
these verses for sin is "dhanb", or "thanb", depending on
how one transliterates the word. It is used many times in the Quran. The Hughes
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Islam defines the word as "a sin or a crime, or
the charge of such", [8].

††††††††††† Clearly the Quran
identifies Muhammad as a sinner. It is definitely applied to Muhammad. Since
some Muslims argue that Muhammad was not a sinner, they have to resort to
re-interpreting the Quranic word, "dhanb". So, what does that word
"dhanb" mean in the context of the Quran? We have to address the
true meaning of this word  is it "sin", meaning something that God
will judge, or is it "fault" defined as meaning something that is
very minor and easily excusable by God? To understand the context of the word,
we should let the context of how the word is used throughout the Quran speak.

We should let the Quran interpret itself.

††††††††††† I have found the word used
about 39 times in the Quran. In some cases it is used without a reference, e.g.
3:31, "Say, "If you love God, follow me. God will love you and
forgive your sinsÖ". We have no reference as to what those
"sins" consisted.

††††††††††† However, "dhanb"
is used many other times with a contextual reference.† Here is a significant selection.†
I present about 22 of them because I want to establish exactly the
Quranís severity of this word.† And, I
encourage all Muslims to search through their Quran to find an example of Allah
lightly treating "dhanb".†
Study the Quran to find something contrary to the harsh judgment that
Allah proscribes to those who commit of "dhanb". I have found none.

SELECTION
OF QURANIC VERSES REGARDING "DHANB" OR SIN

3:11†††† (Their
plight will be) no better than that of the people of Pharaoh and their
predecessors: they denied Our Signs and Allah called them to account for their
sins. For Allah is strict in punishment.

††††††††††† Allah called Pharaohís
people to account for their sins, and they were punished for their
"dhanb".

3:16†††† (Namely)
those who say: "Our Lord! we have indeed believed: forgive us then our sins
and save us from the agony of the fire."

††††††††††† Here
we see people asking forgiveness for their "dhanb" because without
forgiveness of their "dhanb" they will end up in the agony of fire
(hell).

5:18†††† (Both)
the Jews and the Christians say: "We are sons of Allah and His
beloved." Say: "Why then doth He punish you for your sins? Nay ye
are but men,- of the men He hath created: He forgiveth whom He pleaseth and He
punisheth whom He pleaseth: and to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens
and the earth and all that is between: and unto Him is the final goal (of
all)."

††††††††††† Here Muhammad is saying
that Christians and Jews are being punished by Allah for the "dhanb".
Thus their "dhanb" earns punishment from Allah, not a wink of an eye.

5:49†††† And
this (He commands): Judge thou between them by what Allah hath revealed and
follow not their vain desires but beware of them lest they beguile thee from
any of that (teaching) which Allah hath sent down to thee. And if they turn
away be assured that for some of their crimes it is Allah's purpose to punish
them. And truly most men are rebellious.

††††††††††† Here "dhanb" is
defined as "crimes". Does any sincere person think that a criminal
act is more than just a "mistake"? Of course not. How do you think
God views "crimes".

6:6†††††† See
they not how many of those before them We did destroy? Generations We had
established on the earth in strength such as We have not given to you for whom
We poured out rain from the skies in abundance and gave (fertile) streams flowing
beneath their (feet): yet for their sins We destroyed them and raised in their
wake fresh generations (to succeed them).

††††††††††† God is destroying
generations of people for their "dhanb".

7:100†† To
those who inherit the earth in succession to its (previous) possessors is it
not a guiding (lesson) that if We so willed We could punish them (too) for
their sins and seal up their hearts so that they could not hear?

††††††††††† Here the implication is
that people could be punished by God for their "dhanb".
"Dhanb" is worthy of punishment.

8:52†††† "(Deeds)
after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them: they
rejected the signs of Allah and Allah punished them for their crimes: for Allah
is strong and strict in punishment:

††††††††††† Again, people were punished
by God for their "dhanb = crimes". Allah is "strong and
strict" in dishing out punishment for peopleís "dhanb".

8:54†††† "(Deeds)
after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and those before them": they
treated as false the signs of their Lord; so We destroyed them for their crimes
and We drowned the people of Pharaoh: for they were all oppressors and
wrong-doers.

††††††††††† Again, for their
"dhanb = crimes" people were destroyed and drowned by God. These
people who committed "dhanb" were "oppressors and
wrong-doers".

9:102†† Others
(there are who) have acknowledged their wrong-doings: they have mixed an act
that was good with another that was evil. Perhaps Allah will turn unto them (in
mercy): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

††††††††††† Aliís note says:
"These were some whose will was weak and succumbed to evil, although there
was much good in them ..." Ali calls these "dhanb" evil. Is
"evil" the same as a "forgetful mistake"?

††††††††††† Here we have a women who
tried to seduce Joseph, then falsely accused him of trying to sexually molest
her, being instructed to ask forgiveness of her "dhanb". Is lying a
simple "mistake"? No. It is a sin before man and God.

12:97 They said: "O our father! ask for us
forgiveness for our sins for we were truly at fault."

††††††††††† Here we have Josephís
brothers asking Jacob to ask God to forgive their "dhanb". What was
their "dhanb"? They kidnapped Joseph and sold him into slavery. Then
they lied about it to their father. Was this a simple "mistake", or a
"memory lapse"? No, it was a brutal act, motivated by jealousy.

14:10†† Their
apostles said: "Is there a doubt about Allah the Creator of the heavens
and the earth? It is He Who invites you in order that He may forgive you your
sins and give you respite for a term appointed!" They said: "Ah! ye
are no more than human like ourselves! Ye wish to turn us away from the (gods)
our fathers used to worship: then bring us some clear authority."

††††††††††† Here "dhanb"
refers to idolatry. Is idolatry a mere "forgetful" act? And
forgiveness of "dhanb" will save them from hellfire. Thus their
"dhanb" will send them to hell without forgiveness.

26:14†† "And
they have a charge of crime against me; and I fear they may slay me."

††††††††††† Here is Moses speaking. He
said that he was charged with a "dhanb = crime". What was the crime?
Murder. Would any Muslim say that murder is something that God overlooks?

28:78†† He
said: "This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I
have." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him (whole)
generations which were superior to him in strength and greater in amount (of
riches) they had collected? But the wicked are not called (immediately) to
account for their sins.

††††††††††† Here, the reference is to
Allah destroying entire generations on account of their "dhanb". Does
Allah destroy entire generations because of simple mistakes?

29:40†† Each
one of them We seized for his crime: of them against some We sent a violent
tornado (with showers of stones); some were caught by a (mighty) Blast; some We
caused the earth to swallow up; and some We drowned (in the waters): it was not
Allah Who injured (or oppressed) them: they injured (and oppressed) their own
souls.

††††††††††† Allah says he seized people
for their "dhanb = crime". Look at how he punished them: violent
tornado, showers of stones, mighty blast, swallowed by the earth, drowned in
the water. Arenít these "dhanb" bad? Does "dhanb" sound
like it is something that God ignores? No. Rather, God sternly punishes
"dhanb".

40:11, 12†††††††† They
will say:" Our Lord! twice hast Thou made us without life and twice hast
Thou given us Life! Now have we recognized our sins: is there any way out (of
this)?" (The answer will be:) "This is because when Allah was invoked
as the only (object of worship) ye did reject Faith but when partners were
joined to Him ye believed! The command is with Allah Most High Most
Great!"

††††††††††† Here people admit their
"dhanb = sins". How did allah define their sins? Their
"dhanb" was that they joined partners to Allah. This type of sin
is called shirk. It is considered by many Muslims to be unforgivable.

40:21†† Do
they not travel through the earth and see what was the End of those before
them? They were even superior to them in strength and in the traces (they have
left) in the land: but Allah did call them to account for their sins and none
had they to defend them against Allah.

††††††††††† Allah is judging people for
their "dhanb = sins". Look, their "dhanb" was severe enough
that they needed defense against Allah, but they had none.

46:31†† "O
our people hearken to the one who invites (you) to Allah and believe in him: He
will forgive you your faults and deliver you from a Penalty Grievous.

††††††††††† Here, Allah may forgive
"dhanb = faults" and deliver people from a grievous penalty. So,
these "dhanb" warrant a grievous penalty in Allahís eyes.

61:12†† He
will forgive you your sins and admit you to Gardens beneath which rivers flow
and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is indeed the supreme
achievement.

††††††††††† Here, Allah is going to
forgive "dhanb = sins". Afterwards they will be admitted into
paradise. The peopleís "dhanb" is going to keep them out of paradise
unless they are forgiven.

67:11†† They
will then confess their sins: but far will be (Forgiveness) from the Companions
of the Blazing Fire!

††††††††††† People will be confessing
their "dhanb = sins" but they will receive no forgiveness for them.
Instead, these people are in hell on account of their sins.

91:14†† Then
they rejected him (as a false prophet) and they hamstrung her. So their Lord on
account of their crime obliterated their traces and made them equal (in
destruction High and low)!

††††††††††† Here people rejected a
prophet as a false prophet and killed a special camel. What did Allah do on
account of their "dhanb = crime"? He "obliterated their
traces", i.e., Allah totally destroyed them! This was on account of their
"dhanb".

*****

Letís review. "Dhanb" is translated as sin, crime, & fault.
How does Allah deal with people who have committed dhanb? Allah -

Obliterates them

Destroyed them

Puts them in hellfire

Gives them a grievous
penalty

Calls them to account

Hits them with a
violent tornado

Hits them with a
mighty blast

Has the earth swallow
them up

Drowns them in water

Punishes them

Puts them in the agony
of fire

Allah does all this to people who commit
"dhanb". Does this sound like something Allah passes over as a minor
"stumbling", "mistake", or "act of
forgetfulness"?

††††††††††† Of course not! It sounds
like Allah is severely punishing people for their "dhanb". It sounds
like Allah is really serious about it. Donít you agree?

††††††††††† And remember, Muhammad
committed "dhanb". Muhammad was told to ask forgiveness for his
"dhanb". And Muhammad taught in the Quran that forgiveness of
"dhanb" was required to get into Paradise. Otherwise, a person with
unforgiven "dhanb" ends up in hell.

††††††††††† Earlier I synthesized
portions from Muhammadís prayers, recorded in Bukhariís Hadith. Here are the
four Hadith in full.

8.335:† Narrated
Shaddad bin 'Aus:The Prophet said, "The most superior way of asking for
forgiveness from Allah is:

'Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta.
Khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa Wa'dika mastata'tu abu'u Laka
bi ni 'matika wa abu'u Laka bidhanbi; faghfirli fa'innahu la
yaghfiru-dh-dhunuba ill a ant a. A'uidhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu.' If
somebody recites this invocation during the night, and if he should die then,
he will go to Paradise (or he will be from the people of Paradise). And if he
recites it in the morning, and if he should die on the same day, he will have
the same fate."

The Arabic is translated as:

"Oh Allah! You are my Lord. None has the
right to be worshiped but You. You created me, and I am your slave, and I am
faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I acknowledge before
You , all the blessings You have bestowed upon me and confess to You all my
sins, so please forgive them, as no one can forgive sins except You. And I seek
refuge in You from all the evil I have done."

8.379:† Narrated
'Aisha:

The Prophet used to say, "O Allah! I seek
refuge with You from laziness and geriatric old age, from all kinds of sins and
from being in debt; from the affliction of the Fire and from the punishment of
the Fire and from the evil of the affliction of wealth; and I seek refuge with
You from the affliction of poverty, and I seek refuge with You from the
affliction of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal. O Allah! Wash away my sins with the water of
snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from all the sins as a white garment is
cleansed from the filth, and let there be a long distance between me and my
sins, as You made East and West far from each other."

"O my Lord! Forgive my sins and my ignorance
and my exceeding the limits of righteousness in all my deeds and what you know
better than I. O Allah. Forgive my mistakes, those done intentionally or out of
my ignorance or without or with seriousness, and I confess that all such
mistakes are done by me. O Allah! Forgive my sins of the past and of the future
with I did openly or secretly. You are the One Who makes the things go before
and You are the One Who delays them, and You are the Omnipotent."

"O Allah! Forgive my mistakes and my
ignorance and my exceeding the limit (boundaries) of righteousness in my deeds;
and forgive whatever You know better than I. O Allah! Forgive the wrong I have
done jokingly or seriously, and forgive my accidental and intentional errors,
all that is present in me."

In these prayers, Muhammad uses a different word for sin. Instead of using
"dhanb", he uses the root word "khatiía".

††††††††††† In his prayers, Muhammad
acknowledges a whole spectrum of sin: evil, mistakes, ignorance, wrong,
accidental errors, intentional errors, past and future sins, and filth. These
are not simple "mistakes", these are offensive sins in the context of
his prayers.

††††††††††† Muhammad acknowledged he
was a sinner. Donít Muhammadís prayers for forgiveness establish the fact that
he knew how severe his sins were? He knew Allah punishes sin, and that is why
he was always pleading for forgiveness from Allah. Muhammad didnít want to burn
in hell for his crimes.

And, Muhammad did believe and fear he was going to suffer:

Sahih Muslim, [10], Book 4, Number 1212:

Narrated Aisha:

"The Prophet
entered my house when a Jewess was with me and she was saying: Do you know that
you would be put to trial in the grave? The Messenger of Allah trembled (on
hearing this) and said: It is the Jews only who would be put to trial. Aisha
said: We passed some nights and then the Messenger of Allah said: Do you know
that it has been revealed to me: "You would be put to trial in the
grave"? Aisha said: I heard the Messenger of Allah seeking refuge from the
torment of the grave after this."

††††††††††† Allah "revealed"
to Muhammad he would be put to trial in the grave. Muhammad constantly prayed
for refuge from his upcoming torment. Why? If Muhammad were so pure and
innocent, why would Allah be tormenting him in the grave? Muhammad was aware of
his sins, and thus, he prayed for forgiveness.

††††††††††† What were some of
Muhammadís sins? Examine his actions and judge accordingly. As Iíve read the
Islamic source material, i.e., the Quran, Hadith, and Sira, I have come across
some shocking deeds. Few Muslims know about these actions. However, they are
all recorded in the source materials. These materials were all written by
devout Muslims, who wanted to tell to the truth to the best of their ability.

LIST
OF SOME OF MUHAMMADíS SINS

Here is a listing of some of Muhammadís sins:

1)†††††††† The torturing and killing of
a man just to get money:

2)†††††††† Allowing female slaves to be
raped:

3)†††††††† Ordering the murder of a
women who opposed him:

4)†††††††† Ordering the murder of slave
girls who had mocked him:

5)†††††††† Speaking Satanís words as
Godís words:

††††††††††† All of these sins were
committed by Muhammad. No wonder he prayed for forgiveness. The truth was deep
in his heart.

††††††††††† Muhammad admitted he was a
sinner. He called his sins "filth" and "evil". However,
later Muslims invented an un-Islamic teaching that Muhammad was not a sinner.
They did this primarily to elevate Muhammad to a level near equal to Jesus.
Muhammad wa a sinner in the truest sense of the word. Even in his own theology
his sins warranted Godís punishment unless they were forgiven.

††††††††††† Both Islam and Christianity
teach that Jesus was not a sinner. In the Bible, it is explicitly stated that
Jesus had no sin.

FROM THE BIBLE

Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high
priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

2 Cor 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 2:22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit
was found in his mouth."

1John 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in
fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take
away our sins. And in him is no sin.

FROM THE QURAN AND HADITH

††††††††††† The Quran teaches that when
Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce Christís birth, Gabriel said in Chapter
19:19:

"He said: "Nay I am only a messenger
from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son."

††††††††††† The word in Arabic for
"holy" is zakiyya, a word with the root meaning "purity".
This form of the word principally means "innocent, pure, clean,
faultless".

The Sahih Hadith also state that Jesus does not admit sin:

Bukhari Vol. 6, #236

... 'So they will go to Jesus and say, 'O Jesus!
You are Allah's Apostle and His Word which He sent to Mary, and a superior soul
created by Him, and you talked to the people while still young in the cradle.
Please intercede for us with your Lord. Don't you see in what state we are?'
Jesus will say. 'My Lord has today become angry as He has never become before
nor will ever become thereafter.' Jesus will not mention any sin ...

††††††††††† Therefore, original Islam
taught that Jesus had no sin. However, as stated earlier, later Muslims could
not tolerate Muhammadís inferiority and thus made up a doctrine that put
Muhammad on par with Christ.

In "Muslim Studies", Vol. 2, p. 346, I. Goldziher wrote:

††††††††††† "An
unconscious tendency prevailed to draw a picture of Muhammad that should not be
inferior to the Christian picture of Jesus."

This doctrine is actually contrary to Muhammadís words in the Quran.

THE
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF SIN AND SINNER

††††††††††† Another quote from
Gilchristís book sheds a deeper light on the issue:

††††††††††† It
is important to note, before proceeding, that the "sinlessness" of
the prophets in Islam implies only a protection from errors of judgement in
action and character. It is to be distinguished from the Biblical doctrine
which holds that true sinlessness not only means a freedom from wrong doing but
an actual state of heart, soul and mind that reflects all the goodness of Godís
holiness, love and righteousness. Those who have "sinned" are also
those who have "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and
who have not attained to his righteousness.

††††††††††† "The
impeccability of Muhammad has a different basis than the sinlessness of Jesus.
Muhammadís impeccability is asserted for the purpose of establishing the
validity of his revelation. Jesusí sinlessness is the corollary of the
affirmation of his divinity and also of the Christian conception of the true
nature of man. Prophetic protection, or, "impeccability" (Ďismah), is
a postulate of the reason in respect of revelation rather than a definition of
the quality of Muhammadís person. (Thomson, "Muhammad: His Life and
Person", "The Muslim World", Vol. 34, p. 115."

††††††††††† The
only sinlessness known to Christianity is sinless perfection and it decrees that
all who do not possess the righteousness of God are automatically counted as
sinners. On the contrary Islam knows only a human nature which by instinct is
prone to error. It knows nothing of fallen human nature which needs to be
redeemed and made regenerate. Its concept of sinlessness is therefore confined
purely to a preservation from deliberate error and wrongdoing  it does not
require a corresponding positive possession of the image of the holy character
of God in the soul. Thus it allows for so called "mistakes" and
"acts of forgetfulness". (Gilchrist, op cit, page 275).

END OF GILCHRIST QUOTE

REFLECTION  WHAT KIND OF SINNER WAS MUHAMMAD?

††††††††††† Islam teaches that men do
not have a fallen nature, but a nature that leans toward sin. Christians
believe that man has a fallen nature. Jesus even stated that men were
intrinsically evil:

Matthew 7:9 "Which of you, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them
do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Paul later added more detail on the fallen nature within at war with Godís
will:

"For the good I want to do, I do not, but
the evil I do not want to do, I do" ... "But I see another law at work
in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me
a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." Romans 7:19, 23.

††††††††††† Christians believe that
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23. We have
experienced a battle within our souls, the flesh versus the spirit, this
sinful bent fighting against submitting to Godís will.

Now, examine Muhammadís prayer:

††††††††††† "Oh
God, I acknowledge and confess before You, all my sins, please forgive them, as
no one can forgive sins except You. Forgive my mistakes, those done
intentionally, or out of my ignorance, with or without seriousness. Oh God,
forgive my sins and my ignorance, forgive my sins of the past and of the
future, which I did openly or secretly. Forgive the wrong I have done, jokingly
or seriously. I seek Your protection from all the evil I have done. Wash away
my sins, and cleanse my heart, from all the sins as a white garment is cleansed
from the filth, and let there be long distance between me and my sins, as You
made the East and West far from each other.

Do his requests for forgiveness indicate that he had a fallen, corrupted
nature? Here he was, praying as often as he could for forgiveness  why? His
prayer is not the prayer of a man who had a few marginal "lapses".
His prayer was one of a fearful, concerned man  a man who identified his sins
as "filth" and "evil". He eventually believed that he would
suffer in the grave to pay for his sins. He prayed because he was conscious of
the sinful nature operating within him. Even if he did not articulate having a
"sinful nature", we see the evidence of his sinful nature existing in
his prayer. It was operating within him, and he wanted to deal with it. It was
a nature that was with him all his years of self appointed prophethood. He knew
that even in his future, he was going to sin - he asks God to forgive his
future sins, and makes up a verse that God was going to do so - (48:1, 2). Deep
down, he intuitively knew he was a sinner at heart, and he wanted forgiveness.

PART 2
CONCLUSION:† MUHAMMAD HAD A SINFUL
NATURE AS ALL MEN HAVE SINFUL NATURES

††††††††††† According to Christian and
Islamic teachings, Jesus was pure and sinless. Although the religions' teachings
on the sinful nature of man differ, a close examination of Muhammadís actions
and personal prayers, show that he fits precisely the Christian definition of
"sinner".

††††††††††† Salvation is only through
Jesus Christ. Muhammad did not know this. Instead of finding true forgiveness,
deep in his heart, Muhammad lived in fear of his upcoming torment in the grave.
Left on his own, with outside spiritual forces driving him, Muhammad concocted
a bizarre religion, filled with various rituals, superstitions, and violence,
all in an attempt to please a God he did not know.

††††††††††† Pray this prayer:

††††††††† "Lord
Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner. I know there is a depth of sin in
my soul. Please forgive my sins. I know they are evil in Your sight. I believe
that You died for my sins. I believe that You were raised from the dead. I ask
You to come into my heart, to cleanse me from my sins, to receive me. I receive
Your love for me, You are Godís unique Son, and I choose to put my faith in
You, and obey You."

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] "Sahih Bukhari", translated into English by Dr. Muhammad
Muhsin Khan, at the Islamic University in Medina, published by Kitab Bhavan,
New Delhi, India.

[2] "Muhammad and the Religion of Islam", by John Gilchrist, page
273, published by Jesus to the Muslims, Durban, South Africa. It can be found
on the web at: